Porcelain carving, derived from Chinese jade carving and stone carving, is an art that blends painting skills with Chinese ceramics – and it's thriving in the city of Zibo, in East China's Shandong province.

A civil organization that focused on porcelain carving was established in Zibo in 1990. Just over two decades later, in 2013, the city's porcelain carving made it onto the third list of intangible cultural heritage projects in Shandong province.

Porcelain carving involves using various hard tools – like chisels made of alloy steel – to engrave different designs onto porcelain items, so they exhibit a unique artistic charm.

Dong Shanxi, a master of porcelain carving, uses a knife as a brush to create figures on the porcelain. [Photo/sdtaoxie.com]